Hair clasp

ABSTRACT

A one-piece flexible hair clasp has an arm hingedly attached at one end with a detent clasp at the other end for releasably holding the arm about a tress of hair. The larger the tress of hair enclosed by the arm, the more the barrette and arm are flexed longitudinally proportionally to more securely hold the arm and tress.

United States Patent Inventor Nathan L. Solomon 1 Cedar Lane, Englewood, NJ. 0763] Appl. No. 800,927

Filed Feb. 20, I969 Patented July 27, 1971 HAIR CLASP 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 132/48 R, 24/248 HC Int. Cl A45d 8/24 Field ofScarch l32/48,41,

50--52, 68, 54, 48.2, 137; 24/246, 248 HC, 255, 255 BC, 255 H, 255 SL, 30.5, 30.5 RB; 128/346 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 919,933 4/1909 Nowacke et al. 132/48 1,241,960 10/1917 Gould 132/137 3,204,636 9/1965 Kariher et al. 128/346 3,247,852 4/1966 Schneider 128/346 3,412,739 11/1968 Thatcher 132/48 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant ExaminerGregory E. McNeill Attorney-Howard C. Miskin ABSTRACT: A one-piece flexible hair clasp has an arm hingedly attached at one end with a detent clasp at the other end for releasably holding the arm about a tress of hair. The larger the tress of hair enclosed by the arm, the more the barrette and arm are flexed longitudinally proportionally to more securely hold the arm and tress.

HAIR CLASP The present invention relates to a hair-clamping device adapted to hold a tress of hair, and more particularly is directed to a novel hair clasp, such as a barrette, for holding a tress of hair in set position.

Heretofore, barrettes have been made of separate pieces requiring assembly and which catch hair during use at the point of junction of the pieces, causing discomfort to the user when the barrette is removed from the hair. Additionally, the clamp arm of the barrette oftentimes disengaged, and released the hair when the barrette opened. Efforts of remedying this inadvertent opening required elaborate locking mechanism, which added weight and oftentimes caught the hair of the user, and which created discomfort when the barrette was removed. Further, the barrettes were rigid and could only hold the thickness of the tress for which it was designed. Thicker tresses prevented the arm from closing or causing it to be forced open unintentionally.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a one-piece barrette,

Another object of the present invention is to provide a clamp construction wherein the effective holding action is increased substantially in proportion to the size of the tress interposed between the clamping arm and the body of the barrette, thereby preventing involuntary separation of the arms after being positioned in the hair of the user.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a barrette which is simple to manufacture, easy to apply to the hair and is positive in its gripping action in the hair.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a hair clasp which accomplishes all of the above and yet is highly decorative, durably in use and simple to operate.

These and further objects of the invention will be more readily apparent in the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a barrette made in accordance with the present invention, in which the clasping arm is clearly shown in its normal hair-receiving position;

FIG. 2 shows a head of hair having the barrette shown in FIG. 1 applied thereto;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the barrette of the present invention prior to clamping;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 5-5 FIG. 4.

The present invention is directed essentially to a one-piece barrette, which is both decorative and functional, and which has its arm at rest in its open hair-receiving position. The arm locks in place and adjusts to the thickness of the tress of hair encompassed by the barrette by means of an integral acting detent at one end, which is displaced longitudinally in proportion to the thickness of the hair entrapped, for positively locking the hair. The barrette is simple to manufacture and assemble, is pleasing in appearance and positively locks on the head of the user. I

The barrette is made wholly of a molded plastic material, preferably a polypropylene or polyethylene, which is resilient, durable, and is bendable.

Referring to the drawings, a clasp or barrette is shown having an ornamental body 12 generally concave-convex in longitudinal direction, so asto fit the curvature of the head in use. The inner surface 14 of body 12 is concave. Extending outwardly from surface 14 adjacent the rearward end is a flange 16, to which is hingedly attached a clamping arm 18 about pivot line 20. As seen best in FIGS. 3 and 4, pivoting line 20 has a reduced thickness to allow pivoting. The angle of taper of adjacent portions of flange 16 and arm 18 and the manner of molding clasp 10 provide am 18 to be in unbiased hair-receiving position, spaced from body 12, such as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, arm 18 is provided with two longitudinal parallel side bars 22 and 24 and is closed at the rear end 26 and the forward end 28. Spaced from forward end 28 is a transverse strut 30 interconnecting arms 22 and 24.

Extending outwardly from surface 14 adjacent the forward end of body 12 is'a detent 32. Detent 32 has a tapered surface 34 directed toward surface 14 and rearwardly, and an inward recess 36 forming a projection 38 intermediate of surface 34 and recess 36. Recess 36 is formed to matingly receive strut 30. Strut 30 is spaced from forward end 28 a distance sufficient to contact and receive detent 32 between bars 22 and 24. Body 12 and arm 18 are sufficiently resilient, so that arm 18 bows and body 12 straightens slightly when they are pressed together, to allow strut 30 to resiliently snap over projection 38 of detent 32 and be received into recess 36. The projection of flange 16 and recess 36 from surface 14 spaces arm 18 from surface 14 and defines a hair-receiving volume. v

To hold a tress of hair 40 in position, a series of projections 38 extend outwardly from surface 14. To aid in opening and closing arm 18, end 28 extends beyond the forward end of body 12.

Barrette I0 receives tress of. air 40, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. As seen in FIG. 3, arm 18 engages the tress to force it against surface 14. As strut 30 is forced over detent 32, detent 32 is moved forwardly or to the right, as viewed in FIG. 3, causing the curvature of the bow of body 12 to be flattened and the curvature of arm 18 to be increased. As strut 30 is forced passed projection 38 into recess 36, detent 32 springs backwardly securely holding strut 30 in recess 36, and thereby locking the barrette in position about the tress of hair by preventing arm 18 from opening. The gripping of the hair takes place between bars 22 and 24 and surface 14 of body 12, and effectively retains the hair within the barrette. The larger the tress of hair, the greater'the reduction of the curvature of body 12 and increase of curvature of arm 18, thereby increasing the holding force on detent 32, to prevent arm 28 from returning to its unbiased position. To remove the barrette, a separating force is applied to the end 28 of arm 18 and body 12, so that strut 30 is yieldingly forced past projection 38, allowing arm 18 to open and automatically swing away from body 12. With the arms thus separated, the tress of hair is readily withdrawn.

Projection 38 and recess 36 can be considered an abutment and the leading surface of strut 30 can be considered a cam surface. Other detent constructions and detent engaging structure can be used. The use of strut 30 allows end 28 to extend beyond the end of body 12 to provide easier actuating of arm 18 in the locking operation.

Various suitable ornamentation may be applied to the outer surface of body 12, such as at 42. Further, the inner surface 14 of body 12 may be roughened to further aid in gripping the hair and prevent inadvertent separation.

Since arm 18 and body 12 are made of the resilient material, and since they are interconnected, both tend to straighten out in case a relatively heavy hair load is interposed between arm 18 and body 12, which increases the clamping force applied to strut 30 by detent 32, so as to prevent inadvertent opening of the barrette, regardless of the amount of hair of the tress.

Advantageously flange 16 is moved interiorly from the rear end of body 12, so that when barrette 10 is viewed from the outer surface of body 12, the hinging flange 16 is not visible.

What I claim is:

1. A one-piece barrette comprising an elongated flexible by member having an inner surface and made from a rigid plastic material, a flange integrally attached to said inner surface and extending outwardly adjacent one end thereof, a flexible locking arm integrally attached at one end to said flange along a hinged joint and having a pair of longitudinally spaced arms and joined at the other end, said locking arm having an inner face generally paralleling the inner surface of said body member and having a transverse finger adjacent to and facing said other end, and a detent extending normally from the inner surface adjacent the other end of said body member and intermediate saidother end and said transverse finger, said detent cooperatively engaging said transverse finger on said locking arm for releasably locking said arm in hairretaining position, the interaction between said transverse finger and said detent when said locking arm is in hair-retaining retaining position urges said locking arm towards the inner surface of said body member and firmly holds said locking arm in hair-retaining retaining position.

2. A hair barrette in accordance with claim 1 wherein said pivoting connection is biased to separate the locking arm from said body to define a gap to receive a tress of hair.

3. A barrette in accordance with claim 1, wherein said detent has an abutment and said locking arm has a cam surface, said cam surface adapted to strike said abutment flexing said body in straightened position, so that said cam is disposed along said abutment to be interlocked therewith, and said abutment is biased towards said cam for urging said abutment in interlocking relation with said cam.

4. A barrette in accordance with claim 3, wherein said body and said locking arm are flexible, so that upon interlocking said cam means and abutment, the frictional resistance between said arm and said body is increased substantially in proportion to the flexing of said body and said arm.

5. A barrette in accordance with claim 4, further including means for diverting said arm and said body when said cam is released from said abutment, so as to allow easy removal of said tress.

6. A barrette as in claim 1, wherein said inner surface of said body member is concave and the face of said locking arm facing said inner surface is convex.

7. A hair barrette in accordance with claim 1, wherein said detent has an outwardly projecting lip facing said transverse finger and a recess below wherein the transverse finger is forced past the lip and is held within said recess in response to the locking arm being in hair retaining position.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 595 2&9 Dated luly 27' 1971 Inventor( L.

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the Specification;

Column 2, line 20 "Barrette 10 receives tress of air" Change to --Barrette 10 receives tress of hair-- In the Claims;

Column 2, line 62 "an elongated flexible by" Change to --an elongated flexible body-- Column 3, line 3 arm is in hair-retaining retaining position Change to --arm is in hair-retaining position Column 3, line 6 "retaining position" Change to --position--.

Signed and sealed this 21 st day of March 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER, JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents )RM 7- 0-1050 (IO-69) USCOMM-DC B0376-P6B U 5 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I959 CI36I-S3l 

1. A one-piece barrette comprising an elongated flexible by member having an inner surface and made from a rigid plastic material, a flange integrally attached to said inner surface and extending outwardly adjacent one end thereof, a flexible locking arm integrally attached at one end to said flange along a hinged joint and having a pair of longitudinally spaced arms and joined at the other end, said locking arm having an inner face generally paralleling the inner surface of said body member and having a transverse finger adjacent to and facing said other end, and a detent extending normally from the inner surface adjacent the other end of said body member and intermediate said other end and said transverse finger, said detent cooperatively engaging said transverse finger on said locking arm for releasably locking said arm in hair-retaining position, the interaction between said transverse finger and said detent when said locking arm is in hair-retaining retaining position urges said locking arm towards the inner surface of said body member and firmly holds said locking arm in hair-retaining retaining position.
 2. A hair barrette in accordance with claim 1 wherein said pivoting connection is biased to separate the locking arm from said body to define a gap to receive a tress of hair.
 3. A barrette in accordance with claim 1, wherein said detent has an abutment and said locking arm has a cam surface, said cam surface adapted to strike said abutment flexing said body in straightened position, so that said cam is disposed along said abutment to be interlocked therewith, and said abutment is biased towards said cam for urging said abutment in interlocking relation with said cam.
 4. A barrette in accordance with claim 3, wherein said body and said locking arm are flexible, so that upon interlocking said cam means and abutment, the frictional resistance between said arm and said body is increased substantially in proportion to the flexing of said body and said arm.
 5. A barrette in accordance with claim 4, further including means for diverting said arm and said body when said cam is released from said abutment, so as to allow easy removal of said tress.
 6. A barrette as in claim 1, wherein said inner surface of said body member is concave and the face of said locking arm facing said inner surface is convex.
 7. A hair barrette in accordance with claim 1, wherein said detent has an outwardly projecting lip facing said transverse finger and a recess below wherein the transverse finger is forced past the lip and is held within said recess in response to the locking arm being in hair retaining position. 